The owner of a 4-year-old Labrador Retriever that died after being left in a car in Colchester will be charged, police said Tuesday.

Stacey Barrientos, 54, of Colchester has been issued a citation to appear Oct. 6 in Vermont Superior Court in Burlington. She is expected to be charged with animal cruelty in connection with the Monday incident, police said.

A message left on Barrientos' work phone was not immediately returned Tuesday.

Police identified Barrientos as the owner of the dog and the owner of the vehicle, Officer Jesse Treier said.

Police were alerted at about 2:45 p.m. Monday that a dog was locked in a car with all the windows closed outside the Fanny Allen campus of the University of Vermont Medical Center on College Parkway. Treier said police received a call from a hospital security officer who had been alerted by a passerby.

The responding officer forced entry into the car after seeing the dog in distress. The temperature inside the car was 125 degrees, police said.

The dog was taken to Burlington Emergency and Veterinary Specialists, where it was pronounced dead.

Treier said the amount of time the dog was inside the car is under investigation.

"I hope this draws awareness that the temperature in a vehicle can often be misleading," Treier said. "You can think it's a lot cooler when it's a lot hotter."

Colchester police are investigating and asked that anyone with information call 802-264-5555

A new state law that took effect July 1 shields people from civil liability when they break into a locked vehicle to rescue a child or dog in “imminent danger of harm,” after following certain steps such as alerting emergency responders.